Israel charges settler in killing of Palestinian activist in West Bank

Israeli prosecutors have indicted a settler over the killing of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in the West Bank, marking the first such charge since the Gaza war began in 2023, according to activists. Yinon Eliya Levi, a 33-year-old settler from Ma'on, faces charges of reckless manslaughter, trespassing, and causing deliberate damage to property following a confrontation over earthworks on private land.

Hathaleen, who participated in the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," was killed in July 2025 during an attack by settlers on his village of Umm al-Khair in the southern West Bank. Umm al-Khair is located in Masafer Yatta, an area where Palestinians frequently face settler violence and military home demolitions. Israeli rights group B’Tselem emphasized that this indictment is the first of its kind for the killing of a Palestinian in the West Bank since the onset of the war in Gaza in October 2023, which has seen a rise in violence in the region.

B’Tselem's spokesman, Yair Dvir, criticized Israel for fostering a culture of impunity, stating that the indictment is an exception proving the rule. Hathaleen's attorney, Eitan Peleg, hailed the indictment as a significant decision, hoping it will set a precedent in future cases involving Israelis committing crimes against Palestinians.

The forensic investigation by Palestinian rights group Al-Haq, which analyzed footage showing Levi shooting at a crowd in Umm al-Khair on the day of Hathaleen's killing, supports the charges. Both the US and the EU sanctioned Levi in April 2024 for his involvement in previous violent attacks against Palestinians. The West Bank, home to approximately 500,000 Israeli settlers among a population of three million Palestinians, is under Israeli occupation since 1967. All settlements in the West Bank are deemed illegal under international law.